School Clinic

The GFS Clinic Team consists of trained medical professionals: 2 doctors and 8 nurses with an array of expertise in general pediatrics. 
For any questions/concerns regarding your child’s health, please dial the school’s number at 04 –519 5222 ext 332-3 (main clinic) 330-1 (P3 clinic). You can also reach us via e-mail at: [email protected] 

If you cannot reach us, please leave a message with the reception and we will get back to you as soon as we can. 

Sickness

If for a reason, a student is absent because they are unwell, they should be kept at home until they are deemed fit enough to return to school by their own treating doctor. This is particularly important to prevent the spread of communicable diseases and a good rest will speed up the student’s recovery. 

• Please email the class teacher/form tutor and copy the clinic and academic Team explaining your child’s illness/reason for absence. A medical note should be attached. 
• The child will not be allowed back in school without a medical clearance certificate detailing that the child is fit to return to school. 

If the student is not feeling well while at school, then the student will inform the teacher who will then send the unwell student to the main clinic or the P3 clinic. 

• First aid will be provided according to the medical consent form. 
• The parents will be informed by the clinic in case of an emergency. 
• It is the doctor’s decision to have the student collected or sent back to class. 

COVID-19

If a student is unwell or displaying any one of the following signs and symptoms or conditions that are suspicious of COVID-19

They should strictly be kept at home and not to be sent to school:

• Upper or Lower respiratory symptoms
  • cough
  • sneezing
  • runny nose
  • nasal congestion
  • headache
  • loss of taste or smell
  • sore throat
  • shortness of breath and difficulty in breathing
  • body aches
  • muscle pain
  • diarrhea
  • nausea
• With or without a fever of ≥ 37.5°
• International travel history during the 14 days prior to symptoms onset
• Been in contact with a confirmed COVID-19 case within 14 days
• Residing in a community setting where COVID-19 cases have been detected
• Cases of Influenza-like illness without history of travel or known possible exposure

The student should seek urgent medical attention and do a PCR test for COVID-19. They cannot return to school without a medical report with clear diagnosis, a negative PCR and symptoms free.

In the case that a student requires medicines that always occur in the clinic, it should be with prior communication with the school doctor. 

We would to take this opportunity to remind you of the GFS Clinic Protocol on what happens if your child ever falls ill.

Clinic Flow and Protocol

• In the event of an accident / incident, the child will be sent to the clinic.
• Who should be accompanied by an adult? 
  •  Early years students will always be accompanied by a member of staff; either their teacher or teacher assistant for FS1, FS2 and Year 1.
  • For minor incidents, pupils from Year 2 to Year 6, may attend the clinic alone. Or they may be accompanied by a friend, only if needed, following permission from the teacher.
  • Older students usually come alone provided they have permission.
  • Students with serious injuries/conditions will always be escorted by an adult.
  • If not accompanied by an adult, students must always carry their ‘clinic pass’ during lesson times to come to the clinic.
  • Upon arrival at the clinic, students will be registered and assessed by the clinic staff.
• Appropriate treatment and advice will be given and first aid applied according to the signed medical consent.
• A medical incident report will be created for serious accidents or incidents.
• The student will be sent back to the class if deemed to be stable by the clinic team.
• Unwell students will be observed after treatment for around 20 to 30 minutes in the clinic. Students who need to stay longer may need to go home at the discretion of the clinic staff.
• For serious incidents and illnesses, parents will be contacted via their registered numbers. If the main contact number is not answered, the clinic will try others on record.

If both parents do not answer; the medical form consent will be followed.

• When a pupil is required to go home, the clinic staff will make contact with the parents from the clinic and ask them to pick up their child.
• Parents are required to pick up their children within a maximum of 30 minutes after being informed.
• Students should not be contacting their parents to collect them if they feel “unwell”. Early exit due to illness or injury will be managed fully by the clinic. 
•  The parent or guardian collecting the student will be required to present an ‘Exit Slip’ to the reception and the security personnel at the school gate. This slip is only provided by the clinic after the child is released to the parents.
• Students with suspected contagious conditions (e.g. Bacterial Throat Infection, Pink Eye, Head Lice, Suspicious Rash, etc.) will be sent home from school. These students are highly contagious to others and must be picked up from school. Students with a temperature of 37.5° or above will be sent home and are not to return to school until they have seen their usual GP, received treatment or have been fever-free without medication for a period of 24 hours. Students with active vomiting and/or diarrhea, undiagnosed and/or untreated skin rashes or other potentially contagious conditions are not to attend school until the condition is treated (as documented by a physician) or no longer present. A written letter from their GP is required before the student can return to school.

Important information that you need is available on the Parent hand book

• Every parent is required to fill and sign the Medical consent form for their child/ children (at the start of each Academic Year and then update it whenever the condition changes).
• If you have missed it, you can find a copy on GEMS connect under resources and it can be submitted to the clinic via email.
• If your child has a chronic condition or an allergy and you have not informed the clinic yet, please do so urgently along with a detail medical report from the treating Physician along with a personalized action place from the same to be followed in case of any emergency that happens at school.
• If your child needs to take any medication for a chronic condition during school hours, arrangements have to be made through the clinic. Medicines are not allowed to be carried in the students’ bags at all.

Physical Education is an important part of our curriculum and all students should participate unless there is a valid medical reason, in which case you must provide a doctor’s note. Generally, if a child is not well enough to take part in Physical Education lessons, they should not be in school.

Issues and Injuries in PE

There are occasional times in Physical Education lessons where students will be excused from participating physically due to illness or injury. Whilst this is often unavoidable, the PE department would like all students to be involved in all activities. 

In order to get students even more involved, even if they are not physically participating, all students are expected to be in PE kit in all lessons. There are obvious times where it is not possible due to a long-term injury (where changing is difficult) for example. This will enable students to be more integrated into each lesson rather than being on the periphery. 

In order to make PE staff fully aware of any medical issues or a long term medical condition (which restrict the students to participate physically), parents are required to share any medical letters/reports with the clinic Team, PE staff and the form tutor. Lift pass can also be arranged and issued to such students based on their reports to facilitate them.